"Disability is not inability," says Upile Chirwa, a 22-year-old fashion designer who lives her motto every day despite being physically challenged. After her designs were showcased at Portugal Fashion Week SS23, she won an award at the Focus on Ability Short Film Festival—Malawi Awards in 2022. The Focus on Ability Society (FOAS) organized the event, which took place on November 5, 2022, at the Malawi University of Business and Applied Science (MUBAS).
Focus on Ability is a short film festival in which amateur and professional filmmakers take on leading roles to create short films about people with disabilities. These filmmakers are pridefully changing people's perceptions of people with disabilities. The filmmakers were tasked with "focusing on the abilities" of people with disabilities and telling a story on film for the rest of the world to see.
Out of 46 video entries, Upile was named the best actor in the documentary category.
To learn more about her, watch the award-winning documentary below: